The present invention claims priority to French Application No. 00-03101, filed on Mar. 10, 2000 which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a spare tire support for an automobile.
2. Discussion of the Background
Many examples of spare tire supports are known. Such supports are carried by tailgates like those encountered on recreational xe2x80x9call terrainxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9c4xc3x974xe2x80x9d vehicles and may, for example, be positioned in the thickness of the tailgate so that the spare tire is flush with the extension of the external panel.
Most layouts involve a tailgate formed by an internal lining panel and an external body panel that are joined at their edges, where at least one of the panels comprises a recess of a size comparable to the size of the spare tire that comprises the support. In this manner, the spare tire is received roughly in the thickness of the tailgate. In this type of layout, the interior lining and exterior body panels are generally cemented if these elements are made of a synthetic material or welded, it these elements are made of sheet metal. In both cases, an impact suffered by the rear of the vehicle involving the tailgate destroys it and, by the same token, distorts the spare tire support.
This configuration is particularly disadvantageous for the owner of a vehicle equipped with this type of tailgate, for replacing this type of tailgate is particularly expensive.
To eliminate the above described disadvantage, the present invention provides a spare tire support that is attached neither to the internal lining panel nor to the external body panel so that it constitutes an element that is capable of absorbing a rear impact to protect the internal lining and external body panels so that, even if they are involved, the internal lining and external body panels can be replaced independent of a structural element of the tailgate that carries the support.
Accordingly, the present invention advantageously provides a spare tire support for an automobile, and more specifically, a spare tire support carried by the tailgate of an automobile that is configured to receive an anchoring disk of the spare tire and that is positioned roughly in the thickness of the tailgate between an internal lining panel, turned toward the passenger compartment of the vehicle and an external body panel.
To this end, the invention proposes a spare tire support where the support is carried by an internal frame of the tailgate that carries the hinge and locking mechanisms of the tailgate on the body structure and on which the internal lining and external body panels are anchored.
According to alternative features of the invention:
the spare tire support is less stiff than the frame that bears it so that the support can be distorted without distorting the frame of the tailgate when the vehicle suffers a rear impact;
the spare tire support is received in a central circular band of the frame that is roughly the same diameter as the tire and on either side of which are attached transversal arms, one of which carries the hinge mechanisms while the other one carries locking mechanisms for the tailgate;
the arms of the frame are each formed of slender tubes that are joined in the shape of a C, the free ends of the horizontal branches are welded to the central circular band, and the vertical branch carries the hinge mechanisms and the locking mechanisms respectively;
the spare tire support has the shape of a transversal member whose ends are attached to the inside edge of the central circular band according to the orientation of the arms, and whose convex central part, which is dished in order to be received in the rim of the spare tire, carries anchoring means for the spare tire disk;
the dished convex part of the support is turned toward the passenger compartment of the vehicle;
the internal panel comprises a circular access hatch that is at least equal in diameter to the spare tire in order to allow it to be changed and anchored from inside the vehicle;
the dished convex part of the support is turned toward the outside of the vehicle;
the internal panel comprises a circular access hatch that is roughly equal in diameter to the spare tire flange;
the external panel comprises at least one removable central part forming a cover for the spare tire;
the removable central part forming a cover for the spare tire is anchored to the back of the convex dished part of the support and is adjusted with an additional skin of the external body panel;
all the members of the tailgate are attached using screws to allow removal and replacement of the components of the tailgate independent of one another;
the spare tire support is positioned at a determined distance from the internal body panel so that the spare tire can recoil in determined fashion at the end of an impact, without distorting either the internal lining panel or the sill of the tailgate of the vehicle; and
the support is H-shaped and its horizontal branch receives the disk of the spare tire and the free ends of the vertical branches are attached to transversal branches of a monoblock framework forming the frame of the tailgate.